Chapter 48: Rooting Out the Problem
August 29, Thursday night. It has been exactly four months since a certain raid initiated by the Yunzhong Brigade, but some covert operations around City D are still ongoing.
Under the night sky, in the eastern part of City D, two ragged men are frantically fleeing through a field beside a national defense preparation road leading to the mountains. Both their eyes are bloodshot, their running speed astonishing, frequently glancing back at the shadow behind them, their faces filled with terror and despair.
The air is pierced by the harsh roar of a helicopter flying low overhead. The older man in the lead grows even paler, almost rolling into a nearby agricultural irrigation ditch in a desperate attempt to evade the pursuit from above.
The younger man, however, pays no mind to the helicopter’s noise and continues to sprint forward with all his might.
“Seven-Two-One, target acquired, heading south… Judging their escape route as the abandoned national defense tunnel… Target’s surface temperature has reached blood temperature… Execute on site, understood!”
Onboard the black helicopter, a pilot wearing a dark sentry insignia is fixated on the thermal imaging camera displaying a frantic figure fleeing, continuously relaying the latest information with a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.
Another black helicopter arrives, joining in and forming a pincer movement, rushing towards the young man fleeing in the night. After a few seconds, both helicopters ascend higher and slightly adjust their course.
Watching the two black helicopters swoop overhead, the middle-aged man, drenched in sweat, finally breathes a sigh of relief.
In the night sky, the side doors of the helicopters reveal rows of fierce multi-barreled machine guns, with weapon operators donning tactical helmets and night vision goggles behind the guns.
The sharp sound of gunfire suddenly pierces the darkness, a hail of bullets raining down from the night sky, searing columns of fire cutting through the earth, chasing after the desperate figure trying to escape.
Within just five seconds on the thermal imaging camera, the shadow that was running at a speed almost surpassing that of a world sprint champion is torn into chaotic patches of color as the crossfire from the two helicopters finds its target.
“Seven-Two-One, confirm the target has been eliminated, continue tracking.”
As the gunfire fades, the helicopter engines roar off into the distance, and the middle-aged man finally shakes and crawls out of the irrigation ditch.
Ignoring the death of his companion, he sprints madly down the old national defense preparation road. If he can pass through that abandoned national defense tunnel, he will be able to escape into the mountains and shake off the pursuit of the shadowy unit.
…
Several hundred meters away from the road, beside a small hill, Wan Yue, dressed in a black dress, gazes indifferently toward a certain direction in the night. Not far from her, Emma, a woman of European descent, holds a delicate night vision binocular.
“Lord Wan Yue, it should be someone who escaped from the Tang family. Should we intervene to save him?”
Emma puts down the binoculars, a slight smile appearing on her face: “The Shadowy Unit won’t let them go… However, Lord Elvin needs more intelligence and evidence.”
Wan Yue coldly turns her back: “Those peripheral vassals don’t even qualify to enter the underground factories where the Tang family operates, what valuable words can they possibly say? A family doomed to be rooted out, what could possibly attract you?”
“That’s a big question to ask Lord Elvin. I’m just following orders to assist you in searching for clues, Lord Wan Yue.”
Another helicopter passes overhead, Emma remains expressionless.
“Can I take it that Elvin cares more about what I can find?”
Wan Yue lights a cigarette and exhales softly: “What you want is probably already with the assassins. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so reckless as to intend to eliminate every informed person related to the Tang family, even pursuing two loyal attendants to the ends of the earth.”
“Elvin claims to be acting in the interest of the world’s bloodlines, but I find that you actually care less about the trouble the Tang family causes and more about the things that trouble brings.”
“I will never believe that a mere baronial family would randomly possess something that the duke family covets. Do you understand what I mean, Miss Emma?”
Facing Wan Yue’s questioning, Emma remains silent, as if she hasn’t heard.
“Please tell Elvin that the Engel family has dealt with my enemies, and I’m pleased, but the reward for this gift cannot buy me more time and energy. Continuing this way is pointless; I’m leaving.”
Wan Yue shakes her head lightly and disappears into the darkness.
…
Inside the abandoned national defense preparation tunnel, it is filled with various refuse and the stench of decay.
The middle-aged man runs with a mix of strides, having ventured a hundred meters deep into the tunnel, the exit still shrouded in impenetrable darkness.
A rush of fresh air hits him as he reaches the end of the tunnel, revealing the deep mountains ahead. Stopping, he turns to look back at the pitch-black tunnel, a silent smile on his face, as if about to bid farewell to this world.
Suddenly, a white light bursts forth behind him.
The man freezes, slowly turning around, his dazed expression and desperate eyes gradually solidifying under the blinding spotlight.
Under the blinding light, in front of three armored vehicles, two rows of armed black figures are slowly closing in on him.
“1st Support Team of the 307th Brigade reports, breach target intercepted, confirmed as Liu Songcai himself, attendant, please provide instructions…”
Execute on site, understood!
A young officer with a lieutenant’s rank steps half out from the crowd, shuts off his communicator, and looks at the middle-aged man, who is shielding his eyes from the glaring light, with a smile.
The middle-aged man’s legs give way, and he collapses to his knees under the light, trembling all over, his voice hoarse: “Comrade Government, I surrender! I cooperate! I know many hidden secrets of the Tang family; I can lead you to find them!”
“All units, prepare!”
The lieutenant smirks slightly, then slowly raises his right hand.
Twenty-some soldiers from the Shadowy Unit simultaneously lift their weapons, aiming at the shattered will of the Tang family drug dealer beneath the spotlight.
“Don’t kill me… I have value!”
The middle-aged man raises his head, hands high, crying hysterically.
The lieutenant’s right hand swings down, and half a second later, a barrage of gunfire erupts.
The rapid gunfire rings out; countless searing beams sweep past the middle-aged man, his broken body swaying under the torrent of bullets, with dark blood mist splattering everywhere, a sight too gruesome to behold.
In just a few seconds, the man kneeling in the tunnel has been reduced to a mass of unrecognizable charred flesh, entrails and bone fragments scattered about from the gunfire.
“Confirm the target has been eliminated.”
The lieutenant slowly walks up to the mangled corpse and gazes down for a few seconds, casually saying into the communicator.
That night, in City D as well as in the neighboring cities B and W, from urban areas to the outskirts, small disturbances occur that ordinary people find hard to perceive or understand.
A large volume of secret data is continuously fed into the reporting office of the Shadowy Unit’s Western Surveillance Area through secure communication channels, with names recorded in forms continuously marked with the word “dispose.”
In the end, the form contains only a few names left, one of which is a man named “Tang Zexuan,” marked with the conspicuous words “missing” in the status column, his whereabouts still unknown.
…
Time has moved to 2 a.m. at the Martyrs’ Cemetery on the outskirts of City O, where a slender figure appears.
This is the temple of mourning; although it is deep night outside the park’s operating hours, it does not stop Jiang Yan from coming.
In a black shirt dress, black sandals, and with long black hair, Jiang Yan walks past solemn martyrs’ tombstones with an odd expression, searching for her own resting place in another world.
The faint sound of footsteps gradually moves from one end of the night to the other. After several minutes, Jiang Yan stops in a corner of the martyrs’ cemetery, surrounded by green pines and cool breezes; the feng shui is unknown, but the environment is definitely serene.
Before her stand two newly built granite tombstones, with Xian Ya on the left and Gu Yao on the right. The tombstones are not tall, but the bases are large and exquisite, indicating that the relevant authorities did not skimp on the expenditure in this regard.
This is the treatment befitting a nation; every Qingming Festival and National Day, countless children or citizens will come here to pay their respects to the martyrs. The past Xian Ya and Gu Yao have left a memory in this world.
Regarding the biographical inscriptions on the base, Jiang Yan does not delve into details; she is just curious about what lies beneath the base. Perhaps it’s a marker, or perhaps a personal item left behind by someone.
Sigh, I might be the first in the world to visit the gravesite after being buried there…
Jiang Yan suddenly wants to laugh, but cannot, slowly squatting before Xian Ya’s tombstone.
Several stems of unidentified wildflowers collected from the cemetery’s greenbelt are casually placed atop the tombstone’s base, a tribute to her past.
Xiao Yao, are we the kind that died a long time ago?
Jiang Yan self-mockingly mumbles, then turns her head to glance at Gu Yao’s tombstone, another strange thought floating in her mind.
With a gentle lift, her light black figure jumps onto the base of Xian Ya’s tombstone. Jiang Yan leans against the tombstone, one hand raised high, fingers spread wide towards the dark moonless sky, a strange smile growing on her face.
Suddenly feeling a bit tired, Jiang Yan curls her feet slightly to maintain her balance on the base and leans against the tombstone, closing her eyes.
People often say that in Hua Country, the place to ward off evil spirits for a hundred days is the martyrs’ cemetery. Under the indelible righteous spirit, the phantoms of the yin and yang worlds avoid it altogether. Sleeping here should be quite sweet.
The hard, cold tombstone makes Jiang Yan feel very comfortable and at peace.
Uncertain how much time has passed, another series of footsteps draws near from afar, a blurry male figure gradually approaches from the winding gravel path.
Turning to glance at a direction in the night, Zhao Peng’s gaze flits back and forth over the two tombstones.
Xian Ya, Jiang Yan… Gu Yao, Jiang Yan… Sigh…
Zhao Peng gently exhales, gathers the scattered wildflowers from the base of the tombstones and neatly arranges them before turning to leave.
